Portable, towable filtration unit

ABSTRACT

A mobile, portable filter mechanism is disclosed that allows a single user both to transport and treat liquid. The device consists of a trailer-type vehicle that includes an expanded metal screen lying inside the rectangular body. A disposable filter bag is placed upon the screen and a pump is used to fill the bag. The treated water flows out of the bag and is collected in the collection basin located in the trailer body. A plug is located in the rear of the trailer to allow the treated liquid to be drained or pumped to another filter stage. Additionally, a hydraulic ram, of the standard dump-bed type is part of the apparatus and allows the user to drain the collected liquid and to aid in the disposition of the filter bag.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to liquid purification.More specifically, it relates to a portable water purification systemthat involves a number of steps: the first step involving theelimination of particulate matter from the liquid. Even morespecifically, the invention addresses the problem involved when theparticulate matter is between the values of 100 and 500 microns. Evenmore specifically, it relates to a portable initial purification systemthat allows the user to transport the device to a specific location andaddress the immediate situation such that major particulates are removedfrom the liquid before further processing, and that these particulatesare removed on-site. Even more particularly, the present inventionallows the user to take the unit on-site and make the initial removal ofthe particulates, isolating them from the environment, and transportingthem from the site. Yet even more particularly, the instant inventionallows a single user to transport the unit, operate the same, anddeliver the treated effluent to any desired location.

[0003] 2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

[0004] In many situations, a small amount of contaminated liquid will bediscovered in a specific location. For example, a ditch could beuncovered after a period of bad weather and be found to partially fullof water. This water will be full of particulate matter that must beremoved before any workers will be allowed in the area, especially ifthere is any potential contamination of the liquid by a hazardous ornoxious material. Presently, the portable filtration systems that existhave been clumsy affairs and overly complicated. The present inventionseeks to alleviate this situation by providing a portable filtrationdevice that is substantially entirely contained in a trailer that can betowed by any type of vehicle. A pump, separate from the trailer is usedto fill a filtration bag that sits on an expanded metal screen. Thefiltered water collects in the bottom of the trailer and may beimmediately drained from the trailer locally or transported to anotherlocation for disposal. Additionally, a hydraulic ram is included to tiltthe holding tank so that all the liquid may be drained.

[0005] During a search at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a numberof relevant patents were uncovered and they will be discussed below.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,308 issued to Clarence R. Kreiser et al. onNov. 28, 200 discloses a mobile classifier for aggregates. This isdissimilar from the present invention in that no expanded metal platformto support the disposable filter bag, as is required by the instantinvention, is disclosed.

[0007] In the European Patent Document No.

[0008]165,883 a mobile filter unit is disclosed. As in the Kreiser etal. patent above however, the structure is completely unlike that of theinstant invention.

[0009] Thus, while the foregoing overview of prior art indicates it tobe well known to provide various portable mobile filter mechanisms, noneof the inventions discussed above, either alone or in combination,describe the instant invention as claimed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] To achieve the foregoing and other advantages, the presentinvention, briefly described, provides a mobile, portable filtermechanism that allows a single user both to transport and treat liquid.The device consists of a trailer-type vehicle that includes an expandedmetal screen lying inside the rectangular body. A disposable filter bagis placed upon the screen and a pump is used to fill the bag. Thetreated water flows out of the bag and is collected in the collectionbasin located in the trailer body. A plug is located in the rear of thetrailer to allow the treated liquid to be drained or pumped to anotherfilter stage. Additionally, a hydraulic ram, of the standard dump-bedtype is part of the apparatus and allows the user to drain the collectedliquid and to aid in the disposition of the filter bag.

[0011] Thus it is a principal object of the invention to provide aportable and towable filtration unit that allows a single user to travelto and treat water or other liquid contaminated by particulates on-site.

[0012] It is a further object of the invention to provide a portable andtowable filtration unit that may be towed behind any standard truck orSUV-type vehicle equipped with a towbar.

[0013] Still yet a further object of the invention is to provide aportable and towable filtration unit that uses a disposable filter bagplaced on an expended metal screen to remove the particulate matter fromthe liquid.

[0014] Yet another object of the invention is to provide a portable andtowable filtration unit that allows the user to transport the treatedliquid to another location, if desired, for either disposal or forfurther treatment.

[0015] Still yet another object of the invention is to provide aportable and towable filtration unit that includes a hydraulic ram toaid the user in draining the collection basin and to remove the usedfilter bag.

[0016] These together with still other objects of the invention, alongwith the various features of novelty that characterize the invention,are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forminga part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention,its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses,reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptivematter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The invention will be better understood and the above objects aswell as objects other than those set forth above will become moreapparent after a study of the following detailed description thereof.Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

[0018]FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away view of the instant inventionshowing the disposable filter bag placed on the expanded metal screenand with the treated liquid falling into the collection basin portion ofthe device.

[0019]FIG. 2 is a side view of the instant invention.

[0020]FIG. 3 is a top view of the invention, showing the expanded metalscreen extending completely across the top of the collection basin.

[0021]FIG. 4 is a rear view of the invention showing the drainage plug.

[0022]FIG. 5 is a side view of the invention showing the hydraulic ramfully extended

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Turning first to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the outward features of thepresent invention will be discussed. In the preferred embodimentdescribed herein, the invention, generally indicated at 10, has theoutward appearance of a box-like, rectangular trailer with an open top40, a sealed bottom 42, a front wall 44, a rear wall 46 and two sidewalls 48 and 50. The size of this embodiment is approximately 14 feetlong by five feet wide and the apparatus is about one and a half feetdeep. The front portion 12 includes a trailer hitch 14, including thesafety chain 16. Trailer hitch 14, in the contemplated embodiment, is astandard trailer hitch adapted to be attached to the rear of a vehiclesuch as pickup truck or the like. Furthermore, in the embodimentdiscussed here, the filter housing trailer 10 includes four wheels eachindicated at 18. The wheels 18 are contained in the wheel wells 20,located proximate the side walls 48, 50, as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4.The front wall 44 includes the liquid input port, indicated at 22 inFIG. 3. The liquid output port or drain is located on the rear wall 46seen in FIG. 4 and is indicated at 24. It should be emphasized that thenumber of wheels 18, the precise shape of the trailer housing 10, thelocation of the input and output ports (22 and 24, respectively) form nopart of the overall inventive concept and that a skilled practitionercould alter these in many ways without departing from the spirit of theinstant invention.

[0024] Turning now first to FIG. 3, the support screen 26 will bedescribed. In the preferred embodiment, the screen 26, as mentionedabove, extends completely across the body of the trailer housing 10. Inthe embodiment described herein, the screen 26 is made from an expandedmetal, such as carbon steel. The strands would be approximately 0.15inches in width and 0.13 inches in thickness. The size of the meshopenings would be approximately 0.7 inches in width and 1.5 inches inthickness. This gauge of commonly available expanded metal materialprovides sufficient strength to both support the disposable filter bag(discussed further below) and to allow the treated liquid to drain intothe collection basin, as will be discussed hereinafter.

[0025] Now the discussion will turn to the details of the filter bag(Indicated at 100 in FIG. 1). The preferred filter bag used inconjunction with the present invention is the DIRTBAG(tm) manufacturedby ACF Environmental Inc. of Richmond Va. These bags have a flow rate ofapproximately 70-80 square feet per minute and are designed toaccommodate a four inch hose. Of course it should be understood thatother types of filter devices or apparatus could be used with theinstant invention and that the bag described herein is only theexemplary example.

[0026] In use, the present invention 10 is towed or otherwisetransported to the desired location. This location could be acontaminated pool, artificial or otherwise, a construction site having alarge amount of standing water, a ditch or trench with the same, or evena location where sediment filled runoff needs to be controlled. Again,one of the advantages of the instant invention is that a single personcan transport and set up the apparatus. In one contemplatedcircumstance, say a pickup truck (not shown) is used to tow the filtertrailer 10. A pump (also not shown) can be carried in the back of thetruck and when the site is reached, one end of a hose (shown in brokenlines in FIG. 1 and indicated at H) is placed in the particulatecontaminated water and the other is attached to the input port,indicated at 28 in FIG. 1. As mentioned above, the flow rate capabilityof the bag types is known so that an appropriate pump speed (or pump)can be set or chosen. The treated liquid exits the bag as indicated at30 and accumulates in the collection basin 32, as seen in FIG. 1indicated at 34. When all the contaminated liquid has been treated, orthe collection basin is full, the user may dispense the liquid throughthe outlet port 36, which is seen in FIG. 4, either directly through theport 36 or through a hose or the like threaded onto the end thereof.Another aspect of the instant invention is that the treated liquid maybe transported in the trailer to a second site for further filtering orchemical treatment.

[0027] There are many various materials that the apparatus 10 could bemade out of, such as stainless steel, composite materials, plastic, orany combination of the three. The only requirement as to the materialused is that it be of sufficient strength to withstand the stressengendered by the weight of the liquid in the collection basin.

[0028] Another feature of the instant invention is the hydraulic ram,indicated at 38 and seen in FIG. 5. The ram 38 is a standard dump bedhydraulic ram. This feature allows the user to completely drain thetrailer 10 through the tilting of the collection basin 32 away from thetrailer bed portion 52 so that the liquid, through gravity, flows out ofthe outlet port 36. Additionally, this feature would assist the user toremove the wet filter bag 100 at the end of the filtering operation byallowing them to partially slide the bag 100 out toward the rear of thetrailer 10.

[0029] It should be emphasized that the instant invention is not in anyway limited to the embodiments as they are described above butencompasses all embodiments as described in the scope of then followingclaims.

What is claimed as being new and desired to be protected by LettersPatent of the United States is as follows:
 1. A trailer and filterhousing apparatus, said housing apparatus being towable behind avehicle, said housing apparatus comprising: a generally box-likestructure having a front wall, a rear wall, an open top, a sealedbottom, and two side walls; at least two wheels located proximate saidside walls; a trailer hitching means for attaching said generallybox-like structure to a vehicle so that it can be towed, said trailerhitching means located on said front of said generally box-likestructure; a mesh screen disposed between said open top and said sealedbottom, said mesh screen defining a collection basin between said meshscreen and said sealed bottom; an inlet port located on said front ofsaid generally box-like structure; an outlet port located on said rearof said generally box-like structure; and tilting means to tilt saidcollection basin such that any liquid contained therein will, throughgravity, tend to accumulate proximate said rear wall of said generallybox-like structure, thus allowing the liquid to be decanted through saidoutlet port.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further including atrailer bed located beneath said generally box-like structure andwherein said tilting means comprises a hydraulic ram, said hydraulic rambeing placed between said trailer bed and said generally box-likestructure such that upon activation, said hydraulic ram will tilt saidcollection basin such that any liquid contained therein will, throughgravity, tend to accumulate proximate said rear wall of said generallybox-like structure, thus allowing the liquid to be decanted through saidoutlet port.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said meshscreen consists of expanded metal with a mesh opening size between 0.4and 1.7 inches.